Saturday 1 January 2011

A Good New Year to you ... paper lanterns were the latest addition to the Glasgow skyline just after midnight. When not engaged in traditional New Year activites today, I dug out some long-forgotten recordings from 2004 and 2005, bits of which will probably sneak out onto our soundcloud pages over the next wee while, and I listened to more of the sessions from Aldeburgh with a smile on my face.

My favourite overheard snippet of conversation in the park this afternoon was 'better get the steak pie in the oven then'. 

I completely forgot to recommend Catherine Motuz's blog from a few weeks ago (scroll down to 15 December for the relevant bit) which eloquently expresses why it's becoming more difficult for musicians to work internationally. The formalities involved in getting Nick over from Canada to play percussion last month were relatively straightforward, because as a prestigious musical organisation, Aldeburgh has a long-standing relationship with the immigration authorities here in the UK. Similarly, playing at an event like the Edinburgh International Festival gets you a 'get into the UK free' card. But further down the food chain, the amount of time, money and, more crucially, hassle involved in travelling to certain countries will make it less of a practical option, and ultimately leave us all culturally the poorer. How can we develop the musical relationships that might eventually come to fruition in a major festival appearance? Let's not forget that in the UK immigration is a major political issue which is already making life more difficult for visiting musicians who aren't even looking to earn money.